Dragon's Apprentice
by Starsinger
Summary: It's only taken me three hours to get this up! This follows the continuing adventures of Jarra, Reis et al and their dragonets.  Even more trouble comes, in a nice way!
1. Dragon's Apprentice

**New Apprenticeship**

by Starsinger

**For some reason I can't get away from Jarra and her friends. Just remember, this is an Alternate Universe. It takes place after the time of F'lar and Lessa. Aivas was never discovered so thread still falls. Oh, I still don't own them.**

Jarra awoke at dawn, as usual. She wandered, half asleep, into the bathroom. For once she didn't bump into Kwila's bed on the way through. She washed quickly and once again pinned up her hair. Her morning routine hadn't changed in the three turns since she first came to the Weyr. She came out to get dressed and picked up her shoulder knots. With a start she realized what knots she now wore. Jarra shook her head, how could she forget? She suddenly realized that she woke up before her dragon.

Jarra pulled on her work clothes, and came to a firm decision about her hair. Yaneth, was just beginning to wake up as she wandered to the Queen's couch. The Queen stared up at her rider _You're awake! I'm hungry!_

Jarra laughed as she concentrated on speaking with Yaneth with her mind. Years of practice with Nolth ensured that she had this down pat, _I knew you would be. Come on._ They left the weyr, and suddenly were confronted by steps. Not many, but they housed the dragons in the caves in the cliff side. How a young dragonet, even a Queen, was expected to do this every day, she didn't know. She sighed as she coaxed Yaneth down the steps and out to the beach toward the other dragonets from her clutch.

Jarra was suddenly realized that everyone was watching her. She also realized that she would be the focus of many people's attention until Yaneth rose to mate in two turns. She hoped she would get used to it. At least she had friends like Reis in this weyrling class. She got to the beach where Ch'dins was standing with the buckets of meat for the dragonets. She and Yaneth were actually the third pair out to the beach.

Ch'dins grinned, "I'm the assistant Weyrlingmaster with your class. Here," he handed Jarra her bucket. "You know the drill, feed, bathe oil. You'll have to go to classes in the morning, but Daris and Alla will be handling most of your training. We don't have to worry about harness making, dragon anatomy, and firestone chewing with you at least."

"How long until you start chasing them out of their beds?" Jarra asked with a grin.

"About another hour," Ch'dins replied with a grin. "Depends on the dragonets!"

Jarra joined in the laughter as she coaxed Yaneth closer to water's edge. She knelt down and deposited the bucket of meat, sweetsand, and oil on the beach and opened the bucket. _I need more than that. That's not enough food._

Jarra looked sternly at her new friend, _Yaneth, do you trust me? If I feed you more than this now, you will get a tummy ache. As you get bigger, you'll get more food. For now, you'll just have to be patient._

Yaneth sighed, _I'm the Queen. I need more_.

Jarra grabbed her muzzle and made Yaneth look up at her, _No, Yaneth, not now. You'll be surprised at how full you'll be when we're done. First, though, your bath._ Another sigh issued from the youngster as she went into the surf and got wet. She came back as Jarra proceeded to scrub her with sweetsand. After she rinsed she oiled her and then fed her. She walked the tired gold back to the beach and situated her between Reis' Meganth and Ranna's Lith. Jarra knew as Yaneth got older, this routine would become important. Yaneth would quickly become too big to carry.

Jarra washed her hands and joined Ranna and Reis for breakfast. All three girls had witnessed weyrling classes over the past several turns and they waited. Soon, it came. Loud complaints issued forth from the dormitories as loud, banging metal noise woke up the sleeping. The creeling dragonets also could be heard the hungry young let their stomachs be heard. The three girls grinned at each other as they finished their breakfasts.

"I'm going to see the barber," Jarra said. "I'm going to need something a lot shorter for this new career." Ranna and Reis nodded soberly, and followed her to another cave.

Dolver, the Weyr barber, was setting up for the day as they entered. "Ah, yes, my first vict…volunteers. Did Ch'dins suggest this?"

Reis rolled her eyes, "No, Jarra did."

"Ah, the new Queen rider is already taking the lead," he waved to the chair as Jarra stepped forward. "I will cut this close to the head. You'll still have plenty of hair, it will be even curlier, believe it or not."

After he finished, Jarra ran her hand through her close cropped curls, "This is definitely going to take some getting used to." Ranna and Reis soon joined her. As they exited the cave, Ch'dins and X'por were escorting the rest of the Weyrlings to the cave. They all stared wide-eyed at the girls as they passed by. "I don't think they thought X'por was serious about the haircuts."

X'por stopped them as they passed, "Jarra, Reis check with J'lart and Segurd about your schedules for the infirmary. While you need to keep up with that, you have to be able to respond to your dragon's needs. As they get older this will be less of a problem, but for now…" he left the thought trailing. " Meet us in the classroom afterwards."

The three nodded and headed off, Ranna decided to follow Jarra to the dragon infirmary to see J'lart. J'lart smiled to see them. "Jarra, when Yaneth isn't eating and sleeping every day, we need to work with her. Queens have the ability to exert control over the lesser colors. That sounds awful, but they are Queens for a reason. Moreta's Orlith held injured dragons still while her rider worked on them. We've got a while before we can really work on that, but, hopefully, she'll be able to do that. That being said, the weyrlings are still expected to do chores. Yours and Reis' are obvious, you'll be here after the dragonets get their afternoon feed and bath."

"What about dragon anatomy and other such classes?" Jarra asked.

"You'll still attend classes such as harness making, and other equipment, but, you'll be teaching the anatomy classes, especially the 'worst injuries' class." Jarra nodded, not really surprised. As they exited the infirmary they heard a high-pitched squeal that set everyone's teeth on edge. It abruptly cut off. J'lart started running toward the beach where the dragonets of several clutches were spread out.

Jarra ran back into the infirmary and grabbed equipment. A dragon had been hurt, she didn't know who, although it probably wasn't Yaneth. Yaneth was oddly quiet. The horrible sound had quit as she reached the beach to encounter a scene for which no one was prepared. A bronze at about six months old had fallen and a large gash had opened in his shoulder. Instead of thrashing, as most dragonets would be doing, he was still. In front of him, Yaneth stood, eyes locked with the older dragon. Jarra continued onto the beach where E'cro had joined his bronze and J'lart on the beach.

Irith had rolled onto his side and allowed J'lart to examine the wound as Jarra dropped to her knees beside him. Together they got the wound stitched shut. Nolth assisted the dragonet to the infirmary, not wanting to rip open the stitches. Yaneth, for her part, curled back up and went back to sleep. J'lart approached the day old Queen and studied her. Jarra shook her head, "I didn't say anything to her about it."

"Well, it does settle that question. Although, I'm not sure she should try it with the older dragons, yet." J'lart smiled at her, "You need to get to class. I'll see you this afternoon." As Jarra ran off he suddenly realized, her hair was a lot shorter.

**Okay, I've borrowed a few themes, like the tummy ache, from fellow authors that I admire. Don't be afraid to sound off in the reviews section if you recognize it. If anybody can think of a better title, let me know. I'm not all that good at it. Please R&R. I wasn't planning on a sequel to Dragon Healer, but, well, I finished English 1302 (hoping for an A), and the muse bug bit me. Everybody who reviewed that story, THANK YOU!**


	2. Three Sevenday Old Dragons

**Three Sevenday Old Dragons**

by Starsinger

**Yaneth is just like a big kid around little kids in a playground. She honestly doesn't mean to hurt her smaller clutchmates, she's just having fun. It's not her fault that she's bigger than everyone else. No, still don't own them.**

Brown Nolth, blue Gareth, and green Tirith were lined up on the beach for the "Worst Injuries" lecture. Tirith had just landed after showing how most dragons flew. Gareth was about to take off after showing the injuries and the scar tissues that had built up as was healing when a loud squeal sounded from the beach.

Jarra, confident that J'lart would handle whatever happened, continued with the lecture. Until she heard, _I didn't mean to! I just gave a little push!_

"I'll be right back," Jarra said quickly heading for the shore. As she got there the picture was a little comical. Lith, Ranna's green, was paddling back to the shore. Yaneth stood on the shore, looking very embarrassed. Even at three sevendays old, Yaneth was bigger than her clutchmates. In the case of the greens, she was a lot bigger, the bronzes, not so much. This seemed to be the case of she didn't know her own strength.

Lith was unhurt. She had just been surprised when a little bit of a shove in the water from Yaneth had sent her further out into to water than she had been prepared for. X'por's Crith was supposed to be watching the dragonets, but even this had taken him by surprise. X'por and J'lart were looking down at the young Queen who was hanging her head in apparent shame.

"To your credit, she's trying to impartially make friends," X'por said to Jarra. One of the blues came up and nudged Yaneth, "Encourage that. She just needs to learn her own strength. I think the only way she'll do that is with Wish and Klumsy. They're both a LOT smaller than she is. They can also handle themselves."

Yaneth walked back to her sleeping spot on the beach, head and tail held high, a true Queen. Jarra rubbed her eyes, she was tired. They all were. Bathe, oil, eat, sleep, and try to keep up with her lessons and duties in the dragon infirmary. She could only imagine how tough it would have been if she'd impressed before her apprenticeship had been complete.

Jarra sank down to her knees in front of Yaneth and made her look her in the eyes. Yaneth's eyes whirled the yellow of distress. They seemed to be having this conversation a lot lately, _Yaneth, I know you just want to play. And I know the girl dragons are more fun than the boy dragons, but YOU NEED TO BE MORE CAREFUL WITH THE SMALLER DRAGONS!_

_I know. We were just having fun,_ Yaneth replied, clearly embarrassed.

_I'm leaving you with Wish, Klumsy, Hope and Promise. They'll at least remember this, _Jarra thought ruefully. Flits had great memories, dragons, not so much. _Pay attention when they tell you to stop, okay?_ Even though Yaneth agreed, Jarra doubted that she would remember that.

Irith came over and laid down near her. E'cro approached Jarra as she left the beach, "I know how you feel. Irith is the biggest bronze in his clutch."

"Irith is the only bronze in his clutch," Jarra replied with a chuckle. Irith was also from one of Xarith's clutches. This made both of them very attractive. Jarra smiled as she realized that she needed to get to know the bronze riders in the Weyr. She liked Ch'dins and B'reez, she just wasn't attracted to them. "Would you like to eat with me tonight?" Jarra asked.

E'cro blushed, "I..I would like that." She smiled at him as he left for his own lessons, Jarra returned to interrupted lesson.

**Okay, thinking about the title. Divergary, your suggestion of Moreta's Prodigy was a good one. I just think that if she'd been born in the same time, that would've worked better. Maybe Moreta's Legacy? We'll work on it.**


	3. Tired!

**Tired **

by Starsinger

**Well, the title really tells it all. Still don't own them.**

Alla glanced over to the Healer tables that evening. J'lart and Segurd hadn't arrived yet. Three flits sat on the table next to their humans. Reis' brown Callat, and Jarra's Klumsy and Wish were feeding themselves from the bowls next to them. Jarra and Reis had their heads on their left arms while their right hands were playing with their food. Wish had risen to mate three days before Yaneth had entered the world, and she was obviously gravid. Fortunately, they knew where she'd hatched, so getting her eggs wouldn't be that hard. Klumsy and Callat had buried their snouts into their bowls, Wish daintily selected her meat from the bowl before proceeding to chew it.

Alla sat down next to Jarra and prodded Wish's belly gently. The little Queen stopped chewing long enough to squawk at her. "You'll be laying eggs soon," Alla murmured. "All right, you two, wouldn't it be easier to eat with your heads up." Both girls muttered something not worth repeating without lifting their heads. "There's no easy way to ask this," she watched as both heads snapped up to look at her. "Have either of you had sex?"

"Is that all?" Jarra asked, petulantly. "Yeah, when this one rose to mate. Remember Cholise? Yeah, I took precautions after it was over." She also poked Wish in the middle of this speech.

"Well, that wasn't as potentially violent as when Yaneth rises." She watched as Reis shook her head. "Reis, it's up to you whether or not you wait until Meganth rises, but it will probably be a violent way to lose your virginity. Male riders aren't particularly gentle when dragons are involved." Reis nodded her head. There was no real way to prepare for a mating flight.

"I was still sore when Yaneth came along," Jarra said, raising her head.

"Have you, since…" Alla asked.

"When have I had a chance?" Jarra growled. "I'm half asleep here because between Yaneth, the classes, drills, and the infirmary, I'm…" Jarra finished the sentence with a yawn.

"You don't have to toss firestone sacks! That was just showing off!" Reis protested.

"It was showing off last turn when I learned the drills on a dare," Jarra retorted ruefully. X'por dared her last turn, taunting her that she couldn't pick up the firestone sacks, much less throw them. Jarra not only did it, wound up making up the last dragon in most of the drills, and she hadn't Impressed. Yesterday, Ch'dins decided to wipe the smirks off the bronze rider's faces in her clutch by tossing her and the bronze riders fully loaded firestone sacks. She was the only one who threw it back. "Don't worry, that's the first and last time I'm joining you for that. Tomorrow, Olari is, once again, going to try to teach me how to cook. Or, in my case, how to keep from burning boiling water."

Ranna, Reis, and Jarra had also worked out an assembly line system. Ranna sliced the meat from the herdbeast while Jarra and Reis chopped them up into bite sized pieces for their dragonets The other Weyrlings had adopted a similar system and it worked well.

Alla smiled, "In a few months, their eating will drop off. Believe me, you'll be much happier when they're catching their own food." Jarra and Reis started eating what was left of their food.

The next day Wish disappeared. After she returned, Jarra and, S'pri, one of the male green riders, walked out to the beach to collect the eggs. Wish scolded them as they placed her precious clutch of thirty into a fur line sack. S'pri picked up the largest egg, "What do you think? Queen egg?"

Jarra glanced at it, "Could be. Let's get them back to the kitchen. It's up to Daris how these are distributed." _Nolth, tell Alla the clutch is thirty eggs. We're on our way back._ They trudged back to the kitchen cave and gently set the eggs in a large, earthenware pot that had been especially made for this purpose. It was already filled with sand from the Hatching Ground. Wish fussed over the eggs when they were done. She actually rearranged some of them like her larger cousins. Apparently satisfied, Wish flew off to sun.

Alla arrived with Daris to inspect the clutch. "Good size for a young Queen," Daris murmured.

Jarra went back to her weyr to clean up. In the middle of her bath Wish appeared. Jarra smiled as she fussed over the flit. She scrubbed and oiled her like she did with Yaneth, and when Klumsy showed up, she paid him the same attention too. After leaving the bathing chamber she walked over to the russet colored dress that Olari had given her after she Impressed. Olari had also told her that she expected to see her handiwork by Turns End.

Jarra made her way down to the kitchen, and Olari looked at her. "Okay, I'm not going to torture people by making you actually cook." Jarra was given a basket of vegetables and a knife. "Chop them up for a stew." Jarra sighed with relief, this was something she could do in the kitchen reasonably well. "It's a good thing you aren't going to give your Queen Firestone."

J'lart entered as Jarra started slicing and chopping. He chuckled as he poured himself a cup of Klah. "Decided to give you something safe? They didn't want something that resembled charred thread?"

Jarra picked up a tuber and threw it at him. He caught it neatly and bit into it. Jarra shook her head, "How can you eat that raw?"

J'lart shrugged, "You can sew, weave, and heal dragons. You can't cook. What else can you not do?"

"Actually, I was worse than useless with weaving. That's why I was so eager to come to the Weyr. I can't knit, or crochet. I was good with the old Aunties and Uncles. I was also useless when it came to keeping my space clean. I manage it now." She looked up to see Klumsy coming in for a snuggle on her shoulder, "I got Klumsy because Mom got five eggs. She put all of us in front of the eggs during the hatching and let the hatchlings choose. I got the only blue in the clutch, the others were a bronze, a brown, and two greens." She scratched Klumsy's eyeridges. The little flit promptly collapsed on her shoulder and hummed with pleasure. J'lart continued to sip his Klah while Jarra continued with her basket of goodies.

**Please R&R! I'm not above begging!**


	4. Warnings

**Warnings**

by Starsinger

**Inspired by an avalanche in Slytherinsal's story. I recommend all of her stories. She's a great writer! No, don't own them.**

The ground shook beneath their feet. Jarra, Ranna, and Reis stood on the beach and suddenly, they were on the ground. Jarra stood back up in fear, _Nolth, alert the dragons. We need to get everybody off the beach and onto higher ground, NOW!_ Yaneth started creeling, broadcasting her rider's fear. Reis' face had drained completely of color as she witnessed the ocean leaving.

Suddenly, adult dragons were among them, scooping up distressed dragonets and their riders. More dragons down the beach were scooping Weyrfolk. Massith scooped up several dragonets, Yaneth, Meganth, and Irith among them. Jarra, Reis, and Ranna clung to Massith as she flew them directly up the cliff face. There were still three people on the beach when the Tsunami hit. The green a blue hovered over the rampaging ocean, hoping that the people would surface. All dragonets and Weyrlings were accounted for, one of the Healer Apprentices, a drudge, and a kitchen worker were unaccounted for. Firelizards appeared overhead creeling desperately for their humans. Wish and Klumsy found Jarra and clung to her, afraid she was going to disappear.

"How did you know the signs?" Tyga asked quietly.

"When I was six, I was with my parents visiting Southern Hold for the Spring Gather. I was on the beach when the ocean went out, and I heard someone start yelling 'RUN'! To this day I can't tell you how I outran that wave. The devastation was incredible, we'll have to check the holds along the beach. The holds upstream will not have as much damage. I won't be surprised if those left on the beach died." Jarra said sadly. She didn't say the obvious, they may never be found.

The green continued searching as a brown joined her. Everyone watched anxiously as the two dragons continued. The ocean went out. Reis poked her head up, "We should help the holds, but there could be more waves."

Daris nodded, "Dragonriders fly out to nearby holds, but keep an eye out. Everyone else stay up here. We can't take any chances." She smiled tightly at the Healers, "It's fortunate that we didn't have anyone in either infirmary."

The waves came back twice, by nightfall everyone moved back down to the beach. They had recovered all three of the missing, alive. The green triumphantly plucking them out of the tree to which they clung. They were injured. Kwila, being the Healer swept away, had suffered a broken leg and a sprained elbow. Others were not so fortunate.

Daris gave Jarra a lift to Falling Waters Hold later that day. Her family was all right. Her parents hugged her when they set their eyes on her. Like Robinton and Lessa Holds, Falling Waters Hold had been far enough inland that the waves had mostly dissipated by the time it had reached the hold. They had volunteers to help the devastated holds along the coast. Jarra's mother commented, "We're a few days from the tithing trip, anyway. We'll be sending it out today. The herds are gone, I imagine."

Jarra nodded, the herds to feed the dragons had been swept away. Joreen and Jarra's older three sisters came back to help put the Weyr back in shape. Many of the weyrs that weren't located higher on the cliff face had been washed clean. The strangest part came when Ranna and Reis went into the junior weyrwoman's weyr only to find an infant dolphin trapped in the bathing pool. Ranna sighed, "This explains the pod that's been offshore."

They exited the weyr to find a dragon that might be able to help. They found Nolth. He blinked at them. Turns of practice putting injured dragonets into the infirmary hadn't exactly prepared him for pulling the slippery youngster out of the pool. He ended up cupping both of his paws and walking on his elbows to get the dolphin back out to the water. The healers checked him over in the clearer water for injuries. Other than cuts and scrapes, he appeared unhurt, so Nolth let him swim back out to his pod. The other dolphins leaped for joy as he returned to them.

Jarra found herself enlisted for help sewing material for reed stuffing for mattresses. Many youngsters were afraid to sleep near the beach, afraid another wave would come in. Many weyrlings slept with their dragonets. Joreen found Jarra on the beach leaning against Yaneth. The young gold was already bigger than a runnerbeast and was obviously a comfortable pillow. "How are you feeling?" Joreen asked.

"Tired," Jarra admitted. "It's been hard. We still haven't contacted all the holds that have been affected. There are dozens known missing. I'm just glad Massith hadn't clutched yet. We lost Wish's first clutch. It was in the kitchen cavern when the waves came through."

"These waves happened for hundreds of turns before we came to Pern. I'm sure they'll continue to happen long after we're gone. Wish will rise and clutch again." Joreen sat down and put her arm around Jarra. "Mirra wants to stay and help in the kitchen cavern." Jarra smiled. It would be good to have her sister at the weyr.

**Well, I think this is okay. I don't think this is done, tsunamis are big events. Tell me what you think!**


	5. Another Gold

**Another Gold**

by Starsinger

**I'm having a slight disagreement with another author about names, Anne McCaffrey, after all, is an American. She doesn't call cows bovines, she calls them herdbeasts. Horses aren't equines, they're runners. So, I'm calling pigs rooters. They are known for rooting around with their large snouts for things like truffles and other root vegetables. Goats, at this point, are climbers. We have goats at the zoo, and they love to take the high ground! lol Still don't own them.**

Much to Jarra's embarrassment, she had to confess to her mother that it wasn't Massith that was gravid, it was Stirath. Her mother laughed fondly and reminded her that she had been tired, and it was lucky she remembered her own name. Her mother even pitched in to help haul sand in for the hatching ground. So much of it had been washed away by the Tsunami, that they spend two sevendays hauling in the sand. The day Alla was satisfied, Stirath took to the Hatching Grounds. Several days later, a very satisfied Queen revealed a Gold egg on the ground. The Weyr cheered.

"I won't breathe easily until we have five Queens," Alla said with a grin. "Safety in breeders!"

As search dragons brought in candidates for the Hatching, Jarra busied herself with her duties. She didn't, however, miss the arrival of Lord Holder Cimron's, Lord of Southern Hold, daughters' arrival. They were twins. Mirena and Krinea were as different as night and day Krinea was loud and boisterous. Often arrogant, she was confident that she would Impress gold. She often ordered the other candidates around like they were drudges. Mirena was quiet, confident, and knew the value of "please" and "thank you". Unerringly polite, she showed immediate leadership skills of a holder, and the charm of a Harper.

However, in Krinea's defense, Jarra had managed to forget her knots that morning. Daris had suggested that the candidates start their learning process by visiting the dragons and their riders out on the beach. Jarra had found herself in a peculiar position, one that seemed common for the riders of the larger dragons. She was hanging upside down, with her legs wedged around one of Yaneth's neck ridges, scrubbing at a spot under the right wing that she couldn't otherwise get to. She became aware of the candidates' presence when she heard someone clearing their throat.

"Yes?" she asked, not even looking up. "May I help you?"

Krinea tossed her blonde hair as she addressed Jarra. Ranna, attending green Irith nearby paused to watch what happened next. "Yes, we're looking for weyrwoman Jarra. Have you seen her?"

These words drew several of the weyrlings from around them. Jarra looked irritated as she peered down at the young woman who had addressed her. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, obviously, you're drudging for her. She wouldn't stoop to this kind of dirty work," Krinea replied.

Jarra managed to reach up and grab another neck ridge before Yaneth turned her head to look at the candidate. "Easy, Yaneth, I do need to get down," she murmured. Yaneth tilted herself slightly so that Jarra would land relatively softly. "I think I saw her in the kitchen cavern, why don't you go look there." She watched as the girl's eyes brightened and left the beach. "Wow, she fell for that? Who wants to help me oil Yaneth?"

Mirena laughed as she stepped up to take a pot of oil, "Journeyman Jarra? I'm Mirena, I apologize for my sister."

Jarra smiled, "Why don't you get started, I need to go get Yaneth's next meal." She trudged toward the meat area and started stripping the meat down. Her partners joined her soon after and chopped the meat up. This whole operation came to a halt as they heard screams from the beach, and a loud, piercing squeal. All of them looked at each other and ran for the beach. There, they found Yaneth, settling back down to the beach a rooter and a wherry in each paw. It was a good sized rooter, and suddenly, Yaneth had caught her first meal. They watched as a sow and her young continued down the beach, undisturbed.

Jarra heard J'lart chuckle, "Her first kill at four months old. I lost."

"I didn't," Jarra said with a chuckle. "Got everything but the beast." J'lart chuckled again. Even so, Yaneth found she couldn't eat the wherry and gave it Irith, who gobbled it down. "You'll excuse me, I'm about to join the pot for the gold egg." J'lart watched as the candidates turned queasy over the Queen's meal. Mirena, on the other hand, waited until she was done before starting back to oiling the young Queen.

Jarra found that she a little time before she was due in the infirmary, and headed back to her weyr. She slipped out of her clothes and into the bathing pool with a sigh. The warm water felt good. Her short hair made washing and drying it a lot easier. As she exited the bathing pool to grab some clothes, she noticed someone else in there. "Excuse me, what are you doing in here?" she asked.

The figure turned to reveal Krinea, holding up one of the dresses that Jarra was working on. "This is beautiful. I'll take this one."

"You can't have it, I'm finishing it for Headwoman Olari," Jarra stalked over. "Again, I ask, what are you doing in here?"

"I'm moving in. This weyr will do nicely until I Impress the Queen," she replied.

"OUT! GET OUT you SNIVELING WORTHLESS DAUGHTER OF A WHERRY! THIS IS MY WEYR AND YOU'LL NOT IMPRESS THAT NEW QUEEN WITH THIS LACKADAISICAL ATTITUDE. IF YOU EVEN MAKE IT TO THE HATCHING, YOU'LL BE LUCKY!" Shocked, all Krinea could do was go along with the fact that Jarra grabbed her by an ear and pulled her out, wearing nothing but a towel. This gave the entire Weyr a good shot of her long shapely legs as she nearly threw the girl down the steps. Jarra turned back around and returned to her weyr, to get dressed.

Krinea started to storm up the steps only to be confronted by a large brown dragon who would not let her by into the weyr she had chosen. In a huff she took her complaints to Daris. Daris proved just as unsympathetic, blistering her ears about polite society and Weyr protocol. She ended up telling her that if the candidate's quarters were not good enough for her, then she could just go home. Daris hoped that the fact the girl fled in tears meant she had gotten through to her. It did not. She found her sister, Mirena in the Kitchen and told her her sob story.

"What did you expect?" Mirena asked as she chopped tubers. "We're candidates here. That ranks lower than a drudge. What were you doing going into an occupied weyr?"

"How was I supposed to know it was occupied?" Krinea sniffed.

"Clothes in the press, someone in the bathing room, dragon on the couch, I would've thought all of those would've been clues."

"Well, that drudge won't be here much longer. She actually tried to throw me down the stairs."

"THAT DRUDGE was weyrwoman Journeyman Dragonhealer Jarra. She forgot her knots this morning. A rider tends her own dragon. Face it Krinea, if you want to be a dragonrider, you're going to have to get your hands dirty." With that she effectively dismissed her own sister.

**Please R&R.**


	6. Many Forms of Trouble

**Chapter 5**

by Starsinger

**Krinea comes by some revelations. New blood arrives. Still don't own them.**

In the days following the confrontation in Jarra's weyr, Krinea seemed to walk around in a daze. She seemed not quite sure what to do next. She watched as Jarra, Daris, and Tyga all handled their duties competently. Mirena finally cajoled her into helping with chores as a way to pass the time. Although she was still occasionally arrogant, she seemed to think about what she was saying before she opened her mouth.

Two things happened that changed Krinea's life. First, she witnessed her first fall at the Weyr. It wasn't a particularly bad fall. Unfortunately, three dragons were hit badly, two blues and a bronze. The first blue had taken a hit along his hind right leg and tail. Unfortunately, what this meant, all they could really do was slather it with numbweed and cover the score with towels. The towels would be changed frequently until the score healed. The bronze took a wing hit and would be out for months. The size of the wing meant that candidates were recruited to help in the repairs.

The worst injury was the last blue. Blue Jayith took a hit along the neck and wing. His rider, M'nart, had taken a hit along his own leg and lower back. It wasn't known if he would make it. She watched as Jarra got in under the blue's neck to suture closed a vein that was leaking. She found herself helping the Journeywoman perform surgery. In fact, she was the only candidate that didn't find themselves rushing for the facilities. She watched in fascination as Jarra moved on to the wing piecing together the fragments. Krinea's skill with a needle rivaled Jarra's own as she helped sew everything in place. Long hours passed as they continued the hard work on the blue. When they finished Jarra nodded at Krinea, "Wash your hands before you get something to eat. You'll want to get all that numbweed off your hands."

After following Jarra's advice, Krinea dropped into a chair in the kitchen cavern. She was startled to discover that Mirena handed her a bowl of stew. "Don't worry about other chores, they'll be taken care of," her sister murmured. Krinea nodded as she automatically ate and went to bed.

The second happened the very next day as two wings rotated out of Falling Waters Weyr and two more rotated in. One came from Fort Weyr, the other came from Igen. These included four bronzes, twelve browns, and assorted blues and greens. This rotation occurred to help keep the genes fresh, and prevent too much inbreeding. This also gave Jarra and Yaneth, not to mention the new Queen and her future rider, a much wider choice. The Igen contingent also included one of five female blue riders, Ardea. She easily slid off Kraith and confidently strode over to where her wingleader, K'lob, was receiving weyr assignments from Alla and Olari. It was then Krinea realized that she probably wasn't destined for that Queen egg. She fell, and fell hard for Ardea. Her short, blonde hair framed a heart shaped face and sharp blue eyes peered at everything around her. She seemed to be about 25 turns of age, and her muscular body told of turns of riding dragonback. Krinea never looked at another man the same way again.

Jarra, on the other hand, found herself sizing up the four new bronze riders. B'ger was the son of a holder. He was reasonably good looking and fairly charming. He was the wingleader from Fort Weyr. His wingsecond, D'gorn, was weyrbred, and got along with his wingleader. They, along with wingleader A'plag, and his wingsecond, J'don, went out to meet Jarra on the beach as she finished oiling Yaneth. She turned to see her newest suitors with a smile. Her determination to not make a choice before Yaneth rose, dissolved as she locked eyes with B'ger. He smiled and she nodded. She just managed to finish oiling her Queen as they approached and talked to her.

B'ger actually bowed to her as she walked toward them, "Greetings, weyrwoman, and to your lovely Queen as well." Jarra actually blushed as Yaneth peeled back a couple of eyelids to survey the men who were openly admiring her.

_Go on, I'll be just fine, _Yaneth told her. Her whirling eyes turned to the new bronzes speculatively.

"Another turn and a half to go and she's already considering possible suitors!" Jarra laughed. She walked over and introduced herself to the men who all smiled and followed her to the kitchen for some klah.

"Shouldn't you be getting her food ready?" D'gorn asked curiously.

"No, she started catching her own last sevenday," Jarra replied almost absently. She heard B'ger chuckle behind her. "Is something funny?" she asked, suddenly irritated.

B'ger put up his hands defensively, "Nothing weyrwoman, she's just following in well-worn footprints."

Jarra sighed as she entered the kitchen, Olari ventured over with klah for the four of them. "So…you're the new bronze riders. That would make you my suitors."

D'gorn laughed, "You're rather straightforward, aren't you? Until she rises, you'll find yourself up to your ears in bronzes."

"Have you been involved in a mating flight?" A'plag asked.

"Yes, I have a gold flit named Wish. She rose before I Impressed Yaneth. That was interesting. The bronze's human was a man, and we're friends. He's not a rider, so he's not a contender."

B'ger smiled, "Good to know, about the other flit, I mean!" Soon Jarra and B'ger were talking, without really meaning to exclude the other riders. They left the two alone, figuring they'd get plenty of chances before Yaneth rose to mate.


End file.
